I have known many law students that get so excited about finally graduating that they forget to put forth their best efforts during the last term.  Generally speaking, non traditional law students do not have this problem to the extent traditional law students do.  Perhaps that is because we tend to have many more responsibilities that continue regardless of where we are in our law school studies.  Still, it can and does happen.

Remember that our GPA does not differentiate between the first term and the last.  Remember that a bad grade in the last term is still a bad grade.  In fact, a downward slide in performance during the last term or last few classes could actually work against us.  Future employers do not want to see that we start strong and finish weak.  If anything, we should always finish strong.  Moreover, the last few classes are usually electives.  If we cannot do well in classes we actually chose to take, what does that say about us?

Senioritis is a real phenomenon.  Just don’t let it get the best of you.  God bless and have a great day.

Life is beginning to slow down after the holidays, thankfully.  But, law school is still law school.  Just remember to take each day one at a time.  Keep your focus and try to get back into the “groove” of things as quickly as possible.  This last break for me was 3 weeks; a very welcomed one indeed.

Best wishes to all you other law students out there in the same boat as me.  The ride can be tough at times, but just think of the rewards to come.  I cannot wait until this time next year when I will have that diploma hanging on my wall.  Keep your mind on the prize and the time will go much faster.  Be strong and never forget to keep your life balanced.  Law is great, but it is not everything.  God bless and have a great day.

Naturally, I have my pick for president.  But no matter who wins, they will win because of those who took the time and cared enough about our country and their future to vote.  Do not ever think that your vote cannot make a difference.  Can you say, Bush/Gore?

My oldest daughter just turned 18 in June and she will be voting for the first time this year (for my candidate thankfully).  She is excited, and I am excited that she is excited.  So I hope you will take time from your busy schedules and studies to potentially alter the outcome of this election.  God bless and have a great day.

For the most part, a traditional law student will devote most of her time to school (study, law review, moot court, etc.).  For the non traditional law student however, law school is in addition to work, family, and probably many other responsibilities.  Of course we must also balance the fact that many non traditional law students do not attend full time either.  That notwithstanding, most stresses for traditional law students come from school, while for the non traditional law student they come from many more sources.

That being said, for a law student who has basically all of her time to devote to school, she will probably obtain a very nice GPA if she wants to.  For the rest of us, it may be almost impossible to pull the same GPA simply because we do not have enough time to devote to our studies.  Does that mean that we are not as intelligent or as hard working as our traditional counter parts?  No.

I do not have a 4.0 GPA.  But I work full time.  I have a wife and six children.  I cut the grass and pay the bills.  I take the kids to activities.  The list goes on and on.  If you are like me, and I know some of you are, you know exactly what I am talking about.

I am very competitive and put a lot of pressure on myself.  During my first few terms I did very well grade wise, but my family and personal life suffered somewhat as a result.  In my later terms I have decided that being a 4.0 student is not worth three years of alienating my family, church, and friends.  This is not to say that I do not strive to do the best that I can do.  This is only to say that I realize that I must prioritize my life and create a proper balance.  Grades are certainly important, but they are not the most important.

I carry a class load that I feel comfortable with; that I can maintain a good GPA and still have time for the other important things in my life.  I have just had to except the fact that if I want to graduate from law school before I am, ahem, too old, I will probably not attain the GPA that I wish I could.

But consider this.  If you can average a 3.0 (or even a 2.5) with a moderate amount of study time, just think of what you can do if you really apply yourself during your study for the bar exam.  If you are serious about learning you will learn the material.  When you go for your bar review course it will all come back to you.  Then you can take 2-3 months and really cement the material into your mind.  Moreover, once you are a lawyer you will not have a full time job other than that of lawyer.  For me this means 40+ hours a week that I will have to familiarize myself with areas of the law that I did not have each week I was in law school.  After all, ethics do not require you to know the law in an area before you take a case.  They do require you to be able to learn the law through proper research and preparation.

So if your GPA is not as high as you would like it to be, take a moment to reflect why.  Is it because you are lazy?  Is it because you really just don’t care?  Or is it because you have made the commitment to prioritize your life and accept the fact that law school is not the most important thing in the world to a non traditional law student?

Don’t read this and think for one minute that I am promoting any slackers out there.  I study hard.  I just don’t study as much as I would like to because there are only 24 hours in a day (and I like it when my kids remember who I am.)  If you are doing the best you can, and you are not on academic probation, buck up and be happy.  When the bar review rolls around you will kick some booty!  God bless and have a great day.

However, one very important matter to consider is that our next president will likely have the power to appoint several Supreme Court Justices.  These Justices have the power to change our nation for decades or even centuries to come.  The economy of this great country has gone up and down, and it will continue to do so no matter who occupies the presidency.  But according to our great Constitution, the Supreme Court (more appropriately, at least 5 Justices on the Court) determines the Supreme Law of the Land!  This is GREAT power!

When you go to cast your vote this November remember this; the economy is not the only issue.  In my humble opinion, it is not even the primary issue.  A lifetime appointment with the ability to shape the supreme laws of a nation is no small matter.  This issue is by no means lost on the candidates, and lawyers and law students alike should be weighing this issue heavily.

When you cast your vote think this – What kind of America do I want for my grandchildren?  Your vote could very well determine the answer to that question.  God bless and have a great day.

P.S. I am not endorsing one candidate over another as each have different qualities.  Rather, I am inviting you to think about a very important issue that could very well shape the face of this Nation for generations to come.

I have often been asked, “how do you do it?”  My reply is always the same, “I just don’t think about it.”  I have found that the more I think about everything that I have to do the more stressed out I feel.  This is not to say that I do not care or plan for situations.  What I mean when I say that I just don’t think about it is simply this: I know I must do it, so I just do it.

In one of my very first posts I outlined what I thought about before deciding to attend law school.  If you can follow this method then why continue to dwell on everything you are doing?  The time for dwelling or planning is before you make committments.  After you have committed to law school you should quit dwelling on all the work, time, and energy it takes and just do it.

I knew what my responsibilities were before law school and so did you.  I heavily researched what law school entailed and (presumably) so did you.  Although I could not envision everything law school would entail, I knew it would be difficult.  But I also knew that I could do it.  You can do it too if you don’t think about it too much.  Keep your mind on the goal and not the journey.  Your mind will thank you in the long run.  God bless and have a great day!

Many of you other non traditional law students know what I am talking about.  The sacrifice is real, but it is not forever.  I am in my last year, and there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Remember, three years is a small price to pay for the privilege of someday being able to practice law.  God bless and have a great day.

Well, I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed my two 20oz cups of coffee, and stopped by the local filling station for a honey bun.  This did not help my stomach situation.  I spent the day mostly at my desk trying not to lose my so-called breakfast.  My mind could barely function, and my concentration was worse than my 8 year old.  But, what can you do?

I finally made it through the day only to come home and remember that I have a paper due this weekend.  Ugh.  So, I have been doing my best to write something coherent.  I will hopefully feel better tomorrow, and start the whole routine all over again.

As law students, and particularly non traditional law students, we have all been there.  However, the show must go on as it were, and the mind must keep working.  I love law school, but today I felt like chucking my books and computer out in the street.  Frustration.  But this too shall pass, and I will once again get back into my “zone”.

If you can relate – and I know you can – hang in there and keep the faith.  Take some deep breaths and maybe a short (or looong) nap   Better health and brighter minds are just around the corner.  God bless and have a great day.

I hope all of you are hanging in there with your law school experience.  Just a few more weeks and exams will be all over.  Take a well deserved break after that.  But until then, study hard and learn much.  God bless and have a great day.